Method and apparatus for rapid session routing

• US 8,422,397 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyson King
• Original Assignee: Prodea Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Ansari, Amir, Cowgill, George A., Nicholls, Leon E., Ramayya, Jude P., Masina, Ramprakash, Raissyan, Atousa, Guan, Wu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, JOSHUA Y
• Application Number:
  US11/966,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20090168787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

A gateway device at a user premises edge of a wide area network implements a method for rapidly routing a media session. for an application layer service. The gateway device receivers a request from a first endpoint device to create the media session with a second device. The request includes an application layer identifier for the second device. The method involves accessing a routing table within the gateway device using the application layer identifier and obtaining, from the internal routing table a network layer address for communication with the second device. The gateway device then creates a route for the media session for the application layer service via bi-directional network layer communications through at least one of its interfaces using the network layer address.

Claims

1. A product comprising a machine-readable device that implements a method in a user premises gateway device for rapidly routing a media session for an application layer service over a wide area network while avoiding a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and associated equipment between a first endpoint device located externally from a first user premises gateway device and the first user premises gateway device located at a first user premises, wherein the first user premises comprises at least one of a user home, apartment or office, said first user premises gateway for serving one or more endpoint devices associated with and also located in the first user premises with the first user premises gateway device, the first user premises gateway device having a first interface for enabling bi-directional network layer communications within the first user premises with the one or more endpoint devices and a second interface for enabling bi-directional communications for the one or more endpoint devices located externally from the first user premises and associated with a second user premises gateway also located externally from the first user premises via a wide area network and for enabling at least some bi-directional communications for the first user premises gateway device with a service management center external to the first user premises via the wide area network, the method comprising:

creating through the second interface an always on and out of band first secure control channel between the first user premises gateway and the service management center, the first secure control channel being created independent of a request received at the first user premises gateway from the one or more end point devices associated with the first user premises;

sending and receiving first management updates between the first user premises gateway and the service management center using the first secure control channel, the first management updates including network layer addresses for the one or more endpoint devices associated with the first user premises gateway and services notifications about application layer services available from other user premises gateways associated with at least one of the one or more end point devices including the second user premises gateway;

creating through at least one of the first and second interfaces an out of band second secure control channel between the first user premises gateway and the second user premises gateway, the second secure control channel being created independent of a request received at the first user premises gateway and the second user premises gateway from the one or more end point devices;

sending and receiving second management updates between the first user premises gateway and the second user premises gateway, the second management updates including network layer addresses for the one or more endpoint devices and service notifications about application layer services available from the user first premises gateway and the second user premises gateway;

receiving, at the user first premises gateway device, a request via the local area network directly from a first endpoint device to create the media session over a wide area network with a second device associated with the second user premises gateway, said request including an application layer identifier for the first and second gateway devices;

accessing a routing table within the first user premises gateway device using the application layer identifier and obtaining, from the routing table within the first user premises gateway device, a network layer address for communication over the wide area network via the second user premises gateway with the second device; and

creating a route for the media session between the endpoint devices via bi-directional network layer communications over the wide area network through at least one of the interfaces using the network layer address.

2. A method for setting up a bi-directional communication session over a wide are network (WAN), comprising:

avoiding a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and associated equipment and rapidly routing a media session over a wide area network for an application layer service between a first endpoint device communicating over a local area network with a first user premises gateway located at a user premises, wherein the user premises is a home, apartment or office, and a second endpoint device communicated over a local area network with a second user premises gateway device located at a second user premises and serving one or more endpoint devices also located at the second user premises, the first and second user premises gateway devices each having a first interface for enabling bi-directional network layer communications within the user premises with one or more endpoint devices associated with the user premises gateway devices and a second interface for enabling bi-directional communications for the one or more endpoint devices with remote endpoint devices including via a wide area network and also for enabling at least some bi-directional communications with a service management center external to the user premises via the WAN, the method further comprising;

creating through the second interface an always on and out of band secure control channel between the first user premises gateway and the service management center, the secure control channel being created independent of a request received at the first user premises gateway from the one or more end point devices associated with and in LAN communication with the first user premises gateway;

sending and receiving first management updates between the first user premises gateway and the service management center using the secure control channel, the management updates including network layer addresses for one or more endpoint deices associated with another user premises gateway and services notifications about application layer services available from the another user premises gateway associated with the one of the one or more end point devices;

transmitting a configuration setup request from the first user premises gateway device to the service management center;

receiving information from a routing table in response to the transmission of the configuration setup request through the secure control channel;

receiving a request directly over the WAN without PSTN access from the first endpoint device to create the media session with the second device;

determining whether a route entry related to the second device exists in a routing table associated with the first user premises gateway; and

creating a route for the media session for the application layer service via bi-directional network layer communications over the WAN through at least one of the interfaces using the route entry upon determining that the route entry exists and can be obtained from the routing table.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising

updating the routing table periodically from the management updates sent by the service management center.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the routing table comprises an interact protocol address for each endpoint for which a call may be terminated.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the media session is a voice call session.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the routing table comprises an address for a session redirect server.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the routing table comprises an address for a termination device coupling the wide area network with a diverse network.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the routing table comprises an address for a session border controller.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the first endpoint device communicates with the processor through the second interface.

10. A product comprising a machine-readable device and programming embodied in the device that, when executed by a processor in the gateway device, implements the method of claim 2.

11. A method for avoiding a PSTN and associated network service provider equipment and rapidly routing a media session over a wide area network (WAN) for an application layer service between a caller using a first endpoint devices associated over a local area network (LAN) with a first user premises gateway located at a caller premises, wherein the caller premises comprises at least one of a home, apartment unit or office, and a callee using a second endpoint device associated over a LAN with a second user premises gateway located at a cake premises, wherein the callee premises comprises at least one of a home, apartment unit or office, and wherein the first and second user premises gateway devices located at their respective user premises each serve one or more endpoint devices also located at the respective user premises for each user premises gateway device, the user premises gateway devices each having a first interface for enabling bi-directional network layer communications within their respective user premises with the one or more endpoint devices and a second interface for enabling bi-directional communications for the one or more endpoint devices via a wide area network and for enabling at least some bi-directional communications for each of the user premises gateway devices and a service management center external to each the premises via the wide area network, the method comprising:

accessing a routing table within the first user premises gateway device using the application layer identifier and obtaining, from the routing table within the first user premises gateway device, a network layer address for communication with a second endpoint device associated with a second the user premises gateway device located at a second user premises;

creating a route for the media session for the application layer service via bi-directional network layer communications through at least one of the interfaces using the network layer address;

avoiding the PSTN and associated network service provider equipment for rapidly routing the media session over a wide area network for an application layer service between the first endpoint device associated with the first user premise gateway device and the second endpoint device associated with the second user premises gateway device located at the second user premises, wherein said second user premises gateway serves one or more endpoint devices also located at the second user premises, the second user premises gateway device includes a first interface for enabling bi-directional network layer communications within the second user premises with the one or more endpoint devices associated with the second user premises gateway device and includes a second interface for enabling bi-directional communications for the one or more endpoint devices with other remote endpoint devices and user premises gateways including the first endpoint device via a wide area network;

receiving, at the second user premises gateway device, a request via the wide area network directly from the first user premise gateway device to create the media session with the second endpoint device associated over a local area network with the second user premises gateway, said request including application layer identifiers for the first second gateway devices;

accessing a routing table within the second user premises gateway device using the application layer identifier and obtaining, from the routing table within the second user premises gateway device, a network layer address for communication with the second endpoint device; and

creating a route for the media session for the application layer service via bi-directional network layer communications through at least one of the interfaces using the network layer address.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said second interface further enables at least some bi-directional communications with a service management center external to the user premises via the wide area network, the method further comprising;

creating through the second interface an always on and out of band secure control channel between the user premises gateways and the service management center, the secure control channel being created independent of a request received at the user premises gateways from remote end point devices;

sending and receiving management updates between the user premises gateways and the service management center using the secure control channel, the management updates including network layer addresses for the one or more endpoint devices and service notifications about application layer services available from another user premises gateway associated with at least one of the one or more end point devices;

transmitting a configuration setup request from the gateway device to the service management center; and

receiving the routing table in response to the transmission of the configuration setup request.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising updating the routing table periodically from the management updates sent by the service management center.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the media session is a voice call session.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the routing table comprises an internet protocol address for each endpoint for which a session can be terminated.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the routing table comprises an address for a session redirect server.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the routing table comprises an address for a termination device coupling the wide area network with a diverse network.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the routing table comprises an address for a session border controller.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first endpoint device communicates with a processor through the second interface.